Diane Watson

Diane Watson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 33rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office  June 5, 2001
Preceded by	Julian Dixon
United States Ambassador to Micronesia
In office 1999–2000
California State Senator
In office 1978–1998
Born	November 12, 1933 (1933-11-12) (age 76) Los Angeles, California
Nationality	United States
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	none
Residence	Los Angeles, California
Alma mater	UCLA, California State University, Los Angeles, Claremont Graduate University
Occupation	psychologist, health specialist, college administrator
Committees	House Foreign Affairs Committee House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
Religion	Disputed
Website	http://www.house.gov/watson/

Diane Edith Watson (born November 12, 1933), American politician, has been a member of the United States House of Representatives since 2001. She represents California's 33rd congressional district (map). It is entirely in Los Angeles County and includes much of Central Los Angeles, including some wealthy neighborhoods such as Los Feliz. She ran unopposed in the 2006 mid-term election. She will retire from her seat after the end of the 111th Congress.

[edit] Life before Congress

Born in Los Angeles, California, Watson was raised Catholic.^[1] She was educated at Dorsey High School, Los Angeles City College and the University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned her BA in Education (1956). Watson became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha.

She earned an MS from California State University, Los Angeles in School Psychology (1967) and a PhD in Educational Administration from Claremont Graduate University in 1987. She also attended the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Watson taught elementary school and was a school psychologist in the Los Angeles public schools. She has lectured at California State University, Long Beach and California State University, Los Angeles. She was a health occupation specialist with the California Department of Education's Bureau of Industrial Education.

Watson was elected to the California State Senate from 1978 to 1998. The longtime chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, she gained a reputation as an advocate for health care for the poor and children. Term limited, she was replaced by Kevin Murray.

In 1992, Watson ran for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. After a hard-fought campaign that often turned negative, Watson narrowly lost to former Supervisor Yvonne Burke, who was supported by U.S. Representative Maxine Waters.

President Bill Clinton appointed her United States Ambassador to Micronesia in 1999.

[edit] US House committee assignments

• Committee on Foreign Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health
  • Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment
  • Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade
• Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
  • Subcommittee on Domestic Policy
  • Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement (Chairwoman)
  • Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives

[edit] Caucuses

• Chair of the Congressional Entertainment Industries Caucus
• Co-chair of the Congressional Korea Caucus
• Co-chair of the U.S.-UK Caucus
• Congressional Black Caucus

[edit] Views in Congress

Congresswoman Watson supports withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq,^[2] opposes media consolidation,^[3] supports expanding welfare coverage ^[4] and opposed President Bush's proposal to privatize Social Security.^[5] Watson opposed the Bush tax cuts, saying they were unaffordable.

She was one of the 31 members of the House who voted not to count the electoral votes from Ohio in the United States presidential election, 2004.^[6]

In 2006, the National Journal ranked Watson as the most liberal member of Congress.^[7]

On the issue of Cherokee Freedmen membership in the Cherokee tribe, Watson noted that 20,000 Cherokee lived in California. She opposed the Cherokee Nation's March 2007 vote to amend its constitution to limit membership to only those descendants with at least one Indian ancestor on the Dawes Roll. She noted that when freedmen were granted citizenship in the tribe in 1866 by a treaty which the Cherokees made with the US government, it was without restriction to those freedmen with Indian ancestry.

Appeals to the Cherokee Nation's position were pending, in part because the tribe excluded descendants of Cherokee freedmen and intermarried whites from voting on the amendment. In June 2007 Watson introduced a bill to sever US relations with the tribe and revoke its gaming privileges unless the Cherokee restored membership in the tribe to descendants of Cherokee freedmen.^[8] She is a strong supporter of the health care system in Cuba and the Cuban Revolution.^[9]

[edit] Support of Clinton over Obama

In the 2008 Democratic primary, Watson's district went overwhelmingly for Illinois Senator Barack Obama by a margin of 61-29. As a superdelegate, Watson continued to support New York Senator Hillary Clinton.

Watson defeated her challengers in the California June 3 primary, and defeated Republican David Crowley in the November 4, 2008, election.

[edit] On the issue of Mixed Race Classification

When, in 1988, the U.S. government proposed the addition of the category of "bi-racial" or "multiracial" to official documents and statistics, some African American organizations and African American leaders such as Watson and Representative Augustus Hawkins were particularly vocal in their rejection and opposition of the category. They feared massive defection from the African American self-designation.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• U.S. Congresswoman Diane Watson official House site
• Huffington Post: Rep. Diane Watson blog entries by the congresswoman
• Diane Watson at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Federal Election Commission — Diane E E Watson campaign finance reports and data
• On the Issues — Diane Watson issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org — Diane E. Watson campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart — Representative Diane E. Watson (CA) profile
• SourceWatch Congresspedia — Diane Watson profile
• Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Diane Watson voting record
• Hundreds attend PLP fundraiser The Royal Gazette, January 15, 2007
• - The Royal Gazette, Congresswoman backs US cleanup of Morgan's Point (Bermuda) even though the US was cleared of financial responsibility for the clean-up in 2002 payout
• [1] biography of Diane Watson